The Art of Racing in the Rain

but particular attention is paid to zebras. The repeated image of the zebra transforms throughout the book. It first appears when Enzo is trapped alone and without nourishment for two days. In this sense, the zebra is seen as an external, demonic force that sows chaos in its wake. An argument could be made that the black and white stripes of a zebra are representative of prison bars, associating the zebra with confinement and trauma.

Seemingly anyone or anything can be infected by the zebra demon, showing how the zebra is not just something hallucinated by Enzo. The zebra is actually a metaphor for the personal demons that everyone struggles with and that cause chaos and wickedness. By the time Enzo encounters the second stuffed zebra in Chapter 39, it is immobile and has lost much of its power. He has grown to realize that the zebra is an internal force of self-destruction, and that he has succeeded in overcoming the zebra within. When he sees Denny about to sign a settlement with a zebra pen, Enzo realizes that Denny still needs to conquer his own zebra in the form of winning the lawsuit and having the criminal charges against him dropped.